PVC Cucumber Trellis

http://www.pvcplans.com/trellis.htm

8 Ways To Use Edibles As Ornamentals

http://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/edible-garden-design-00418000074347/page11.html

Re-Rooting and Re-growing Celery

Covert Gardening in Suburban Areas

No Dig Gardens

http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/

Quick and Easy Food Garden

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/start-a-quick-and-easy-food-garden.aspx

66 Things You Can Grow At Home: In Containers, Without a Garden

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/sixtysixthings-growhome-containers-withoutgarden.html

Free Vegetable Seed Saving Handbook

http://www.howtosaveseeds.com/

Grow Plants From Your Groceries!

http://www.dinnergarden.org/specialPlants.html

Harvest Techniques to Extend Storage

Onions 
The first crop of bulb onions were ready for harvest this week in my garden. 4 dozen yellows and 2 dozen whites. In many ways onions are an easy crop. But, in a few ways they are tricky. Growing them from seed is very tricky. I’ve tried a few times and failed. I’ll keep trying, I know it’s just a matter of timing and variety selection, but for now my onion growing is done from sets, which is not tricky at all. Sets go in the ground in early spring, a bit of weeding once or twice, wait till the tops fall over, and harvest. In order to get the best storage life from home grown onions, you’ll want to cure them. Curing isn’t tricky, but I find that many gardeners don’t know they need to do this step. It dries the skins/wrappings to decrease mold and increase protection of the bulb.
Illinois Extension has these instructions for curing, and I follow them with good results.
Pull the mature onions in the morning and allow the bulbs to air dry in the garden until late afternoon. On especially hot, bright, sunny days, the bulb may sunburn. On days when this is likely, remove onions to a shaded location and allow them to dry thoroughly. Then, place them under dry shelter on elevated slats or screens or hang them in small bunches. Tops may be braided or tied with string before hanging. Full air circulation for 2 to 3 weeks is necessary for complete drying and curing. Keep the dry wrapper scales as intact as possible on the bulbs, as they enhance the keeping ability.
I’ve used a couple of methods for this. I’ve braided them into several ropes and hung them in porches, and sheds. I’ve also arranged them on a tarp in heavy shade under a tree, turning a couple of times a day. All of these seemed to work equally well. The downside to the tarp was that it ended up in the middle of our living room during a rainy spell, with a fan blowing on them. The house smelled of onions and garlic for a week after that. I didn’t care, but a couple of visitors made funny crinkly faces.
Garlic
Speaking of garlic, it was harvested this week as well. I grow hardneck garlic, I find it is better suited to really cold winters than the softneck varieties. Like onions, they store better after curing. You’re aiming for the same end result: lower moisture levels and fully dried skins/wrappings. You want a shady, dry area with sufficient air flow. Be careful when harvesting, any bulbs with cuts or bruises should be preserved immediately. I like it diced in oil, or dried. Garlic doesn’t need any time in the sun, especially if you can keep the bulbs dry the week before you plan to harvest. Allow them 2 to 3 weeks in the curing area, depending on temps and humidity. The hardnecks don’t braid as well as softnecks, so I’ve never been able to make the pretty braids. I just have a bit of tie line strung in a pantry, with a window and fan to control the temperature and move air if it’s needed. I use clothes pins to hang the bulbs. :-D Real fancy stuff here. :-D
Storage
After curing, these tasty bulbs will store for 6-8 months. Try to keep them around 60 – 65°F and away from light.
I find that it’s easy to grow about half of my family’s yearly onion and garlic needs. That allows me to try varieties for sale in the local market, but still feel comfortable with my ability to scale up if I need to. Growing my own garlic means I have free seed garlic every year. [Now's the time to get garlic orders in for early fall delivery.]
If, for some reason, you wanted these to be lightweight and easy to carry. (BoB food, dry soup mixes, nomadic existence….) I would dice them. Then dry them. Solar dehydrators get you extra points.
h/t Andrea Sisco

4 Simple Steps to Grow a Hundred Pounds of Potatoes in a Barrel

Container gardening isn't only for savvy urban gardeners and folks with limited space to grow, it can also be for folks who want to maximize their yields in a controlled environment. Not only does growing potatoes in a barrel reduce the amount of weeding and exposure to pests and fungi, you don't even have to risk shovel-damage to the tender potatoes by digging them out of the ground when they're done, just tip the container over! After extensive research to plan my own potatoes-in-a-barrel, I've boiled all of the recommendations down to 4 simple steps to a winning potato harvest.

1. Select and prepare a container

You'll need to pick out a container such as a 50-gallon trash barrel or one of those half whiskey barrel planters. Alternatively, you can buy used food-grade barrels or commercially-available potato planters. Just about any 2 to 3-foot tall container will work, but be sure to select a container that either already has holes in it, or is okay to cut holes in. Next you'll want to clean your container with a mild bleach solution to get out any of the nasties that have been lingering in there.
Good drainage is critical for the cultivation of healthy potatoes so you'll want to cut or drill a series of large drainage holes in the bottom and bottom sides of your container. Alternatively, you can cut out the bottom altogether and place it on a well-drained surface like your garden bed.

2. Choose a variety and plant potatoes

Seed potatoes can usually be found at nurseries early in the growing season, but you should only have to buy them once. If you can, “chit” or sprout your potatoes before planting them by setting them out in an egg carton, the side with the most buds facing up, and putting them in a cool light room out of direct sunlight to sprout. Putting the tubers in an open paper bag can have this same effect.
Fill in the bottom of your container with about 6 inches of loose planting mix and compost. You'll want to use a planting mix with a peat moss-like soil amendment like this product made from repurposed coconut husks, doing so will keep the soil from becoming too compacted and help it to store moisture for the roots. Next, add some seed potatoes on the layer of soil, making certain to leave plenty of space between each cube. You can use the whole potato but I like to cut the potatoes into 1 to 2-inch cubes for planting. Loosely backfill the potatoes with another 6 inches of your soil and compost mix and water to dampen soil. Keep the soil damp at all times but be careful not to overwater.

3. Add more soil

When they have about 6 to 8 inches of foliage, add another layer of your soil-compost mix covering about one-half to three-quarters of the visible stems and foliage. Repeat this process of allowing the sprouts to grow and then covering the sprouts and moistening the soil as the plants grow up toward the top of the barrel.

4. Harvest the potatoes

After about 10 weeks or until the plants flower and start to yellow, the potatoes should be ready to harvest. Carefully dig down with your hands to inspect the top-most layer. After you've confirmed your suspicions, dump the barrel out on a tarp and inspect your bounty.

Other tips to grow bushels of barrel potatoes

• After the first harvest, keep a few potatoes to use as seed potatoes next year.
• Bush beans are a great companion plant for potatoes.
• Instead of using soil, try growing potatoes in sawdust.
• Experiment with different containers, seed potatoes and watering regimes.
• If the above steps aren't sufficient, do some more research. Try here.

Have any photos or useful tips for growing potatoes in a barrel? Please share!